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Can Citalopram And Trifluoperazine Treat Bipolar?

Can Citalopram and trifluoperazine can they treat bipolar?
Thu, 28 Feb 2013
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Psychiatrist 's  Response
Hello...
Thanks for your query. Citalopram is an antidepressant and trifluperazine is an older generation antipsychotics. These are not the classic drugs used in treatment of bipolar disorder. Mood stabilisers like lithium or valproate are routinely used in bipolar disorder to prevent mood swings. Hope you found the information useful.
Regards
Dr Sundar
Psychiatrist
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3 Doctors agree with this answer

  User's Response
Dear Bethany Seed, Welcome to Healthcaremagic!
Citalopram is an antidepressant-- antidepressants are NOT used for bipolar as they will destabilise the disease course.
Trifluoperazine is an older antipsychotic-- may be used but not FDA approved for bipolar disorder. Moreover, may cause serious side effects if used in long term.

Drugs for bipolar are:
Lithium
Anticonvulsants like divalproex, lamotrigine, carbamazepine
IInd gen. antipsychotics like olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone etc.
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  User's Response
Hi, you can use citalopram provided you remain most of the time in depression. Best advise is to switch over to newer atypical antipsychotics in which mono therapy can be given to you.
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Psychiatrist Dr. B Raghavendra's  Response
I aggree with Dr Kansal mostly except with one rider.....Antidepressants ARE USED in bipolar disorder.

In Bipolar disorder, the most common episodes are depressive episodes and not mania or hypomania. Most of the depression episodes in Bipolar disorders can be contolled by Mood stabilisers (anti convuslants and new antipsychotics) as described above by Dr Kansal but WE DO USE ANTIDEPRESSANTS AS WELL IF IT IS NOT RESPONDING TO JUST MOOD STABILISERS.

as Dr Kansal rightly says, there is a risk of switching i.e depression becomign mania/hypomania and hence they are recommended only after mood satibilisers are not helping...............NICE guidelines of UK say that they should be used for only 6 months after the depression had responded and the antidepressants should be tapered off after 6 months of being well.

All in all, yes anti depressants are not first line of choice in Bipolar disorder but they are still used for treating depression of Bipolar disorder.

LIKEWISE FOR TRUFLEPARAZINE...............though very rarely used nowadays..............may be as the 10th or 15th drug when it is no responding to others or when patients can not afford the costly medication, some colleagues do still use this.
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Can Citalopram And Trifluoperazine Treat Bipolar?

Hello... Thanks for your query. Citalopram is an antidepressant and trifluperazine is an older generation antipsychotics. These are not the classic drugs used in treatment of bipolar disorder. Mood stabilisers like lithium or valproate are routinely used in bipolar disorder to prevent mood swings. Hope you found the information useful. Regards Dr Sundar Psychiatrist